A Year to Fall in Love
by pacesettergurl18
Summary: James Potter has really only wanted one thing his whole life: Lily. It's his sixth year, and James is growing up. No longer does he act like the arrogant boy that he had once been, and Lily notices it. Slowly, she realizes she has loved him too.
1. Chapter 1

"Evans! Come back, please!" I called desperately after her. She disappeared around the corner, her long red hair which I so admired swung behind her as she vanished without looking back. I sighed deeply. _She still hates me. A summer apart changed absolutely nothing._

"Still after Evans?" said a familiar voice behind me. "Yeah, she's good-looking, but if it were me I would move on. There are still all the other attractive girls, it's not just Lily than can make a guy look back twice."

Sirius appeared next to me, his hair longer than ever. For the first time, I was annoyed to see my best mate.

"Well, it's not you, is it?" I snapped. "And Evans isn't a girl I can just _cast off_ because she doesn't like me back. What she doesn't know is that I am just as determined to go out with her as she is at avoiding me at all costs."

Sirius snorted next to me as we made our way up to the Gryffindor common room. "What you don't know is that it's obvious you practically _drool_ over Evans."

Now he was really ticking me off. I could feel the anger rising inside. "W_ill you just DROP IT?"_ I snarled, walking faster.

"Perseverance," I said shortly to the Fat Lady, and the portrait swung open to reveal the common room. '_Ironic that the password was perseverance_,' I thought. '_Especially since we had just finished talking about Lily….'_

Despite my sudden anger, I was calmed to see the crackling fire, the bulletin board, and the spiral stairs leading up the dormitories. The common room was usually empty due to the fact that everyone else was at the still at the feast.

"So good to be sixth years, isn't it?" asked Sirius. He immediately sat in one of the armchairs by the fire that we usually occupied. Sirius seemed unconcerned that I had lost my temper with him not five minutes ago.

"Yeah, I guess," I mumbled, leaning back on the chair, eyes closed. Maybe if we waited here long enough we would catch a glimpse of her before she went to bed. The thought if it made me smile faintly. What would it feel like to run his hands through her beautiful hair, or feel her soft lips on his…?

"Where's Wormtail and Moony?"

Sirius obviously didn't get the fact I wanted to be left alone.

"It's the first day of term, obviously Wormtail is still eating and Moony has prefect duties," I responded. Raising my head, I could see that Sirius looked worried. He leaned forward, hands clasped together and hair falling in his face.

"What's wrong with you James?"

Reluctantly, I explained what happened with Lily in the Entrance Hall. I vividly saw her green eyes flashing as I gave her a small wave, then I saw her angry expression as she turned away and walked with her friends into the Great Hall. After I got done speaking, I felt strangely better. '_After all, Sirius is my best mate,_' I thought. '_He nearly always makes me feel better when I'm down.'_

Sirius seemed to consider what he was going to say. Lily was always a delicate subject between them.

"I… I been thinking, and I believe I know why she doesn't like you," he said cautiously, scanning my face for signs that I was getting angry. I gave him a curt nod and he continued.

"Well, I overheard her talking to one of her friends, and she said that she didn't mind you when you weren't being arrogant and big-headed."

She had told me the same thing multiple times, so this didn't surprise me. However, the fact that she talked about me...

That was something.

There was a distant rumbling of hundreds of feet as they made their way up to their separate Houses. My stomach growled, and I thought of the savory food that I had ditched, all for Evans, all because she made me upset…

Maybe she was right. No, she was right. For the past five years, I had been a show-off and a prankster, but now it didn't matter how many people thought I was funny, it didn't matter how many people admired my wit or Quidditch talent.

And suddenly I knew. I knew by the end of the year I would have what I so desperately craved for, the one person who was always on my mind.

Because, sitting in that armchair, making those realizations I had matured into a more serious man rather than the coincided boy that arrived here exactly five years ago. And it felt good; it felt good to know I was changing. It was like the first step to Lily.

I got up, stretching.

"I'm turning in early tonight," I said. Sirius looked a little crestfallen.

"But I thought we were going to nick some food from the kitchen…?" he asked. I had forgotten that we had planned on having a party after the feast. But that had seemed so long ago.

"Nah, that's something we would have done in the fourth year. But we're sixteen now, next year we come of age and we need to start acting like it."

Sirius looked abashed, but didn't have time to respond because the Gryffindor had started pouring into the common room, talking loudly and laughing.

I gave Sirius a small wave, turned, and marched up the spiral staircase to the boys' dormitories with a warm feeling spreading from my hands down to my toes.


	2. Chapter 2

"James… James!"

I groggily opened my eyes to see Remus leaning over my four-poster. I rolled over and buried my face in my pillow.

"If you want breakfast, I suggest you get up. Especially because you skipped dinner yesterday, and it's the first day of classes today."

I heard him leave the dormitory and I slowly stood up, slipped my robes over my head, quickly combing my untidy hair and left.

Still rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I entered the Great Hall which was still crowded with students. I saw Dumbledore sitting at the staff table, his beard gleaming in the morning light. He was in polite conversation with Professor McGonagall. The Great Hall was as incredible as ever, with the sky above me and the smell of delicious food filing my nose.

"James!" called Sirius. I immediately changed course and sat next to him at the Gryffindor table.

"Why did you sleep in so late?" he asked, watching me shovel food onto the plate in front of me. I had been starving.

"Byont no, us ried," I choked, my mouth full. Next to me Wormtail laughed loudly, even though I didn't think it was that funny.

"Shut up, Wormtail," said Sirius, who obviously agreed with me. "Now what did you say?"

With a gulp, I swallowed. "I don't know, I was just tired, I suppose. Where's Moony?"

Sirius leaned in close, his voice barely above a whisper. "It's almost time for him to transform. He told us that he was getting you up, but he never returned. I reckon he's taking a walk, he does like to be outside before it happens."

I nodded, still eating. Across the hall, I could see Severus, who was watching Lily intently. She was sitting a few seats down from mine, her lovely hair tied up, green eyes sparkling, as she laughed with her friends. I wanted to shout something at her, but then I remembered my goal, and refrained.

I felt a tap on my shoulder. Behind me stood Professor McGonagall, a slip of paper in her hand, and her thin mouth curved in a smile.

"Good break Potter?" she asked. I nodded, waiting.

"Your schedule for your N.E.W.T. classes is here; you have been cleared for every class. Well done, Potter. I must say, you will make a fine Auror."

And with that, she moved on to Sirius, who had also been cleared to continue with all his classes. Wormtail, however, looked crestfallen.

"The only class I was cleared for is Defense Against the Dark Arts," he said, looking extremely put out.

"Well, we all knew it was coming, you're a half-wit anyway," said Sirius, grabbing my schedule. He read it quickly then said, "Excellent! We have every class together. Our first class is Double Potions," he said. I grinned back at him, and he knew what I was thinking. Double Potions meant Slughorn, and Slughorn meant Lily.

"Come on, let's grab our stuff and head to the dungeons."

Together, Sirius and I walked out of the Great Hall, leaving Wormtail waddling in our wake. As we approached the Fat Lady, we found Remus exiting the portrait hole. His face look grey and his eyes had bags under them.

"We got our schedules; you better go get yours from McGonagall, it's almost time for our first class." He cursed and quickly ran through the hundreds of students making their way to the common rooms.

"Poor bloke, at least we have a choice to change," he said, watching Remus's receding figure.

Ten minutes later, we were in the dungeons, supplies in hand.

"James! Had a good summer, m'boy?" said Slughorn, his hearty voice echoing in the empty dungeon. I gave him a small nod. "Excellent, excellent! And here's Black! Your brother Regulus is taking O.W.L.s this year; he was always one of my favorite students…" He laughed loudly. "Put your stuff on the tables, just there, yes. We will be doing a special little lesson, come over here please…" Sirius and I walked to our allotted spots and watched as the dungeon filled. My heart did a little leap when Lily walked in, but this time she had only one friend with her. Following behind closely was Severus.

"_That_ slime ball," muttered Sirius. "I wondered what the foul smell was."

Under normal circumstances, this would have made me laugh, however, I didn't find this slightly funny.

"Blimey James, your becoming like Moony, first telling me how I should act my age, now you don't even find Snivellus funny."

I didn't answer him. Lily and her friend had just stood next to us, but Lily seemed not to notice that she was standing only four feet away from me. I forced myself not to look at her.

"Yeah, well times change, don't they?" I said a little louder than necessary. Sirius didn't miss this and raised an eyebrow.

"Jeez, Prongs you defiantly have changed." said Sirius, shaking his shaggy head. "If you don't be careful you'll become Head Boy, and then I swear on it, I'll ditch you, best mates or not."

I chuckled, repressing the urge to mess up my hair.

_Don't do it. Lily hates when you do it. You are supposed to show her you've changed._

"Hello, and welcome to Potions! Firstly, I would like to congratulate you for achieving E's or above on your O.W.L.s!" Professor Slughorn clapped his hands together, looking jovial.

"Now, it's a bit of a tradition with my N.E.W.T. classes to offer a sort of challenge for the first lesson." He indicated to a table with three potions on it. He opened the lid and suddenly I smelled a warm, strawberry scent. It was so light, feminine and strangely familiar…

It reminded me of Lily, with her green eyes, glittering smile and of course that _lovely_ red hair…

"Can anyone tell me what this potion is?" said Slughorn abruptly. I jumped with a start, forgetting where I was. The smell that so infatuated me was coming from the potion. Slughorn covered it with its lid and my head cleared instantly.

"Miss Evans?" he said. I turned and saw Lily's hand in the air.

"It is Amortentia, the most powerful love potion in the world. It is supposed to smell differently to each person, depending on what attracts them."

I was very impressed with her answer, and evidently so was Professor Slughorn.

"Wonderful! Always had an aptitude for potions, yes… Anyway give Gryffindor five points! Now, Amortentia does not cause _actual_ love, but it causes an extreme obsession, which, is just as dangerous." Slughorn moved along the line to a gold colored potion. It emitted no smell, but let off a thin stream of steam.

"This potion is extremely tricky to make, terribly dangerous when made wrong. Can anybody tell me what it is?"

I looked around tensely. I knew what the answer was but I didn't want to be a show-off….

"Nobody?" pleaded Professor Slughorn.

Carefully, I raised my hand. Beside me, I felt Sirius stiffen. He hated people that answered questions in class, and here I was doing just that.

"Ah, Mr. Potter?"

"It is Felix Felicis, sir." I said. My voice sounded calm and confident, which surprised and pleased me at the same time.

Was Lily watching me? It took a lot of will not to snatch a glance at her, to see if she was impressed….

_Don't do it. Lily hates when you do it. You are supposed to show her you've changed._

"Yes! Very good, Mr. Potter, very good indeed. Can you perhaps tell me the alternative name?" cried Slughorn.

"Liquid Luck," I said automatically.

"Oh, excellent, absolutely excellent, take another five points!"

I was happy to see Severus looking livid.

Professor Slughorn walked to the last potion, giving them a view of it. "Can anyone tell –"

He didn't even finish his sentence before Severus's hand was waving in the air. His face look set, as if he was trying to prove something.

"Yes, Mr.…?"

But Severus had cut him off. "That's the Drought of the Living Dead sir," he said promptly. "Correctly made, a single drop could probably kill us all."

Next to me, Sirius rolled his eyes. I couldn't help but agree.

"Why… Yes, yes, very good. Take five points to Slytherin also." He seemed to lose his train of thought at Severus's abrupt interruption.

"As Mr. Potter said, Felix Felicis is Liquid Luck, and a dose of it will give you a perfect day. Taken excessively can be dangerous, but taken rarely, it's perfectly harmless. This is the prize that I offer the student who can produce a sufficient enough Drought of the Living Dead in the time that remains. The recipes can be found on page ten of _Advanced Potion Making. _ Now, off you go."

Sirius and I took a table together and began setting out our supplies. Lily had taken a seat with her friend a few tables away. I noticed with some smugness that Severus was sitting alone.

I pulled out the first ingredient: A Sopophorous Bean.

_Cut a Sopophorous Bean, and release the juices into your caldron. _

As hard as I tried, I couldn't keep the bean still; it kept jumping out of my hand, and avoiding my blade. Next to me, Sirius was having the same issues. I hear him curse, and I grinned.

"How in the _world_ do we cut open something that won't let us even touch it?" he asked angrily. I shrugged, just as confused as he was. Looking around the room, it seemed others were having similar difficulties. Lily was panting as she tried to keep hold of hers, while her friend had given up already, preferring to watch everyone else's struggles.

Severus, however, was the only one to have succeeded in cutting up his bean. I could tell he was sweating, his dark, greasy hair covering his face. Severus's potion was letting off a violet steam, exactly what the book said it was supposed to be doing. As I studied him, I noticed he kept jotting notes in his book. For some reason, this bothered me.

"Hey, I cut it!" said Sirius gleefully. He had Stunned his bean, which seemed like a good idea. I followed suit, and proceeded to squeeze the juices out. Most people had caught on and used the idea.

_Stir potion counter-clockwise until it turns a lavender color._

My potion was a royal purple, and was emitting a smell of burnt rubber. Sirius's was doing the same thing.

"I think we weren't supposed to Stun the beans," I whispered. Sirius didn't care, I could tell. Currently, he was eying Lily's friend.

"I wonder who she is. That's defiantly an attractive girl," said Sirius nodding appreciably, ignoring my statement. He had totally forgotten his potion, which was starting to boil. I quickly put out the fire under the caldron.

"Look at Snivellus, already done with his potion, the grease ball," said Sirius, winking at Lily's friend. She giggled and turned away. I couldn't help but feel revolted at the look of triumph on his face. _If I had_ _acted like that, it was no wonder Lily didn't like me, _I thought.

"Don't call him Snivellus," I said stiffly. "We don't have to be the best of mates, but we really should stop calling him that. I'm not saying I feel bad for him or anything," I added, seeing the look of incredulity on his face.

"Prongs, you really love her don't you?"


	3. Chapter 3

"And…TIME!" called Slughorn. I put down my ladle, panting. My potion went from bad to worse, and was now frothing. However, it was better than Sirius's, whose had taken on the thickness of cement and now obtained a nasty khaki color.

"Hmm…" said Slughorn, examining each student's potion. I knew mine was a complete failure. I really hoped Lily didn't see it.

Slughorn stopped short of Severus's table and gasped loudly, refocusing my thoughts.

"Severus! How perfectly wonderful! This is the best Drought of Living Dead I have ever seen!" he exclaimed, clapping his hands together in pure delight. "Come and collect your prize, you're the clear winner!"

I could hardly stand the smug look that crossed his pallid face. The class clapped politely. It took a big swallow of pride for me to join in.

Looking around, I met Lily's eyes, and she tilted her head sideways, giving me a curious glance, like she was seeing me for the first time. Quickly, I averted my gaze.

"Congratulations and use your prize well," said Slughorn, beaming. At that moment, the bell rang and I hurriedly packed my stuff, almost running toward the door. Sirius was on my heels, talking swiftly.

"… That git, standing up there thinking he was big stuff, I really want to curse him, matter of fact I think I just might…"

"NO!" I shouted, grabbing his hand, which was reaching inside his robes. Severus walked past us briskly; completely unaware I had just saved him from being cursed.

"Potter, did you just stick up for Sev? Arrogant, bullying Potter defending his number one target?"

I froze. The voice sounded oddly familiar, it couldn't be…?

_Lily._

"Erm… Well, yeah," I said, feeling myself go red, but I met her gaze anyway. Her green eyes seemed to be searching, deciding if I was telling the truth.

"I'm glad you've finally grown up," Lily said slowly. An awkward silence fell between us.

Her friend tugged her arm, and they turned on heel and stalked off, leaving behind the sweet strawberry scent I had recognized in Potions.

"That was as close to a compliment as you've ever gotten from Evans," said Sirius in an awed voice. "Looks like you're finally doing something right."

Three classes later, I walked up to the common room to drop off my bag. It was lunchtime already. Since my conversation with Lily, everything else seemed hazy and unimportant.

My friends kept wondering why I was smiling like a nutter.

"Just happy to be back, that's all," I said, grinning. Moony, however, wasn't convinced.

"What did I miss during Potions?" he asked, looking from me and Sirius. He shrugged next to me. "Nothing really, we made The Drought of the Living Dead and Snivellus won a bottle of lucky potion or something like that, I was too distracted by Evans' friend –"

"_What did I tell you about calling him Snivellus_?" I snarled. Sirius seemed taken aback by my tone, but then rolled his eyes.

"Oh yeah, Prongs has decided to _grow up_ so that Evans will go out with him," he said, sarcasm threatening every syllable. Remus however, looked impressed.

"About time too," he said, glaring at Sirius. He had lost interest in the conversation and was eyeing a few fifth year girls walking beside them. They were quite giggly, which only intensified when he shook out his dark hair and sent a flirty smile their way. The girls nearly collapsed with glee. Sirius was very handsome, making him popular among the girls of Hogwarts.

Remus sighed. "I supposed she noticed it?" he asked, turning to me. I nodded and told him of our short conversation.

"That's definitely a start, well done," said Moony clapping me on my back as we entered the Great Hall. We took seats at the Gryffindor table where Peter waddled up to us and sat down.

"I have to take Remedial Transfiguration AND Charms!" he said, sighing.

"You know, I reckon that the giant squid would get better marks than you," said Sirius. I laughed heartily along with Moony. Even Peter grinned nervously.

I filled my plate with steak and kidney pie, my personal favorite. The day had gone really well so far, and I could hardly contain my excitement.

_Has Lily forgiven me for what I've done? Will she finally realize that I really do love her? I'm willing to make changes, now it's her turn to show me she's ready to forget the past…._

_Lily Evans, My flower_

_L. E. and J.P_

"James, exactly _what_ are you doing?" asked Sirius, pulling away a parchment I had been doodling on before I could grab it back. His mouth hung open, and then he scowled.

"You really sicken me sometimes you know?" he said, throwing it back to me. I snatched the parchment and thrusting it into my bag.

"So do you, you're a dog sometimes," I hissed.

Sirius laughed, even though I had tried to be serious with him. Before long we were all laughing.

"Funny how irony works eh?" said Padfoot, running his hands through his hair. He began eating with relish.

"We have Transfiguration together," I announced. "Well, at least Padfoot, Moony and I have it. Peter has lessons with the giant squid."

Moony snorted into his pumpkin juice, and Sirius choked on his pie. Wormtail turned a patchy shade of red.

Close to where we were sitting, I heard the sound of a girl crying. Looking around, I was shocked to see that it was Lily. I had never seen her cry, besides that day when Severus had called her a mudblood in our fifth year.

"What's wrong with Evans?" I whispered to my friends. They all peered down the table at her.

None of them knew, or cared, but now I was curious. I had to find out why.

"You are entering your sixth year at Hogwarts, perhaps the most important year," said McGonagall twenty minutes later. We were sitting in Transfiguration, Stunned crickets on our desks.

I still was determined to find out what was wrong with Lily, so every once and a while, I snuck a glance at her, whose startling green eyes were bloodshot and swollen. Pity swelled inside me, along with a touch of anger.

"The classes you take this year set you up for your careers outside Hogwarts, and I suggest you take this seriously, Mr. Black," she added. Next to me, Sirius was prodding his cricket with his wand, making it swell and then deflate in rapid succession.

"Sorry Professor," he said grinning.

"Now, as I was saying, your choices affect your job opportunities. To keep up in my N.E.W.T. classes, you need to make sure you pass_ all_ the homework, not to mention the complex magic we will be learning this year.

"For today's lesson, we will be Vanishing small insects. The incantation is as follows: _Evanesco."_

The class chanted it back to her dully.

"Good. Now, we will be starting with crickets, but eventually proceed to bigger animals. Like most spells, the difficulty depends on the complexity of the animal, which leads us to the homework. On my desk by next Thursday, I expect a foot long essay _describing_ how molecular complexity relates to the difficulty of a spell. Off you go," she said briskly. Remus, Sirius and I all turned to look at each other. Padfoot looked horrorstruck, mouthing _"A foot long?" _I personally agreed, but I was determined to Vanish my cricket by the end of class.

"_Evanesco," _I said forcefully. Nothing happened, and I felt foolish. Again and again we tried, until I finally managed to make mine disappear.

"James, how did you do that," said Padfoot, sighing dramatically. "I may not be able to Vanish mine yet, but I can do this."

Sirius muttered something, and the cricket lifted into the air zoomed off, trailing McGonagall, who was now walking around, watching everybody's progress.

"Sirius, you're going to get detention!" I whispered to him. However, he just gave a lazy flick of his wand, and the cricket immediately returned to his desk.

"_Evanesco," _he said, and his cricket disappeared instantly, just as McGonagall walked passed our desks.

"Very good, Mr. Black!" she said, nodding in his direction. "Take ten points to Gryffindor."

He winked at me, a smirk on his face. I rolled my eyes.

"You worry like an old mum," said Sirius. He was being so arrogant, so full of himself, that I could hardly contain myself from cursing him.

"Did you plan that?" I asked through gritted teeth. Remus also looked annoyed.

"'Course I did, who do you think I am?"

By the end of class, Remus managed to change the color of his cricket to a dusky white. I noticed that Lily had Vanished hers also.

"Fifteen points to Gryffindor for Miss Evans and Mr. Potter's hard work," barked McGonagall over the bell.

This time I packed up slowly, hoping to catch Lily's eye. However, she was one of the first ones out, so I stuffed my things in bag with a sigh.

"A foot long and it's only the first day of school!" burst out Padfoot angrily when we were safely out of the classroom. "That old bat!"

"It's a bit crazy, but it is the only homework we have, and after Charms the rest of the evening is ours to do with as we please," I pointed out to him. Grumbling, but no longer complaining, we walked into Charms together.

The class was dull; we only took notes the whole time. However, I was exhausted, and looking forward to relaxing for a bit in the common room.

"Ah, relief," said Sirius, reclining in his chair by the fire. I took the one across from his, equally relieved to be back. The castle was unusually cold, so the fire was defiantly a plus.

Moony went to bed early, complaining of not feeling well, and Wormtail was still at his extra classes.

We fell into conversation, talking lightly about our day and laughing. The common room filled up, and before long it was so crowded that I could barely hear Sirius even though we sat only feet apart

"Excuse me," said girl's voice.

. I turned around and was surprised to see Lily and her friend from Potions standing next to us. Lily looked uncomfortable, her face still blotchy.

"Evans, Mocay!" said Sirius, immediately putting on a big smile. I saw with some satisfaction that Lily rolled her eyes.

"Hi Sirius, um… I was wondering if maybe you wanted to go to the next Hogsmeade trip with Lily and me?" she asked, playing with the ends of her curly hair. "James would be welcome to come too," she added, seeing Sirius eye me, as if asking if he should.

"Yeah… Yeah, that'd be great," said Sirius, winking at her. "We will meet you guys at the doors, and walk together into the village together."

The curly-headed girl looked relieved, and nodded. She turned to go, but Lily lingered for a moment. I thought she was going to say something, but she just gave me a faint smile, turned around, and followed her friend up the girls' dormitories.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: I do not own Harry Potter in any form. Besides playing the part of a disclaimer, I would like to thank Jack Mason Potter for being a wonderful beta reader.

The weeks slid by, unnoticed. Before long, the grounds were frozen with snow. It swirled in drifts, and cancelled Herbology classes for a week. Therefore, it came as a surprise to me when the Hogsmeade notice went up on the bulletin board:

_All sixth years with permission may go on the Hogsmeade trip this Saturday. Those who plan on attending should meet by the entrance hall at noon._

"Excellent," said Padfoot, reading it quickly. "A whole day with Sammi… Already sounds great."

Sirius and Sammi, the curly-haired girl that had asked him out to Hogsmeade, had started going out a few days afterword. I had walked in on them snogging a few times already, and each time was equally revolting. I could tell that Sirius didn't really like her because the only time he spent with her was used to snog in the common room.

That's something that really bothered me about him: He dated girls without _actually _having feelings for them, and then discarded them like broken quills. I had done it before with other girls, but that was a long time ago. It sickened and disgusted me to even admit I had sunk to that level. In my youth, I had the tendency to pull pranks, which, looking back weren't funny at all, even though I thought them amusing then. I particularly regretted that time when I had hung Severus by the ankle in my fifth year, which led to Lily and Severus's estrangement. Of course, I didn't bother me that Lily no longer cared for Severus; however it angered him how hurt she had been. But I really didn't consider that a part of me anymore. After all, I was a changed man.

"Hey, Evans is going with us, remember?" said Sirius, punching me arm. Funnily enough, I _had._

"Oh yeah, I _forgot,"_ I said sarcastically, hitting my forehead with my palm. Sirius sniggered, but I noticed it was forced and half-hearted.

We discussed the upcoming Hogsmeade trip, which was the next day, all the way to the Great Hall. While we talked, I noticed something about Sirius: He was progressively becoming more somber. In fact, since December had come, he stopped joking around almost entirely. Now that I thought about it, he had gotten a lot of mail, which usually wouldn't arouse my suspicion, but considering the circumstances…

"Sirius, what's been going on with you?" I asked abruptly. We took our usual seats at the Gryffindor table, waiting for Moony and Wormtail to join us.

"What do you mean?" he asked carefully, not meeting my eyes. I could tell that he knew perfectly well what I was talking about.

"You know what I mean. Why have you been getting all those letters from home? Why are you so serious all the time?"

He sighed. "I knew I couldn't hide it from you forever. I'll tell you later, but not now, okay?"

I nodded, mystified. For the rest of the meal, Sirius didn't talk. It was oddly depressing. No matter how many times he annoyed me, Padfoot was the only one that could make a conversation fun. Sure, Remus was pleasant to talk to, but there just weren't as many laughs. As far was Wormtail goes… Well, it was like talking to a twelve year old. In his defense, he was thoughtful, loyal and funny when we wanted to be, but he wasn't Sirius.

So, consequently, the meal was quiet.

"You can tell me now," I said in the darkness. Sirius and I had turned in early so we could talk in the dormitory without being disturbed.

"Well…It's just that things at my house aren't doing well. Before term started, I told them that I would never go back, but my _dear_ mum didn't care," said Sirius bitterly. "No, she burned my face out of the family tapestry, like I care, but still… I have don't have a home anywhere else."

Silence fell between us, as I digested this new revelation. I knew Sirius's home life wasn't going well, because he was at my house nearly every day. But why did he feel like he had no home? He would always find a bed at my house…

"Sirius, as long as we live, you will always be welcomed to stay," I whispered. Sirius sighed heavily.

"I know, but I feel like I take advantage of your family. I mean they do so much for me and what can I give them back…?

This time I snorted. Sirius was being a little sentimental, something he never did.

"You know my father thinks of you as a second son. Mum dotes on you, of course. She always tells me what a _lovely_ young man you are."

Again, Sirius took a while to answer. "I have no place to go over break, or when the term ends," he said quietly.

"The spare bedroom has been yours for three years why should that change now? Remember how you always used to say that you wished we lived together like real brothers? Well, now we're going to. I just have to send an owl to mum and dad, and they will set up a permanent room for you."

Sirius didn't answer for a long time. I figured he thought I had fallen asleep.

"We've always been real brothers in everything but blood," he said, more to himself than to me, but I heard it anyway, and smiled in the darkness.

"Sirius, come on," I muttered, shaking his still figure. He was always a deep sleeper, so it took me a long time to get him up. The rest of the dormitory was silent and dark. The sun had barely risen.

"Go away," he mumbled. Smiling, I left him, knowing that he would be up any minute now. I pulled out a stack of fresh robes and went to the showers to get ready for the Hogsmeade trip at noon.

I found Padfoot, Wormtail and Moony waiting at the Gryffindor table when I came down. "Blimey, James, look at you!" said Sirius, as I sat down. He looked much more awake than he did when I woke him up.

Across from him, Remus wolf-whistled, "Lookin' good, Prongs."

I smiled sheepishly at them and sat down. True, I been extra careful in preparing this morning. My untidy hair had been combed so it no longer stuck up. Using gel, my bangs were held back instead of letting them hang in my face. Also, I had sprayed on a bit of cologne I had gotten over break.

Breakfast was a rushed affair; and before I knew it, Sirius and I were waiting for Lily and Sammi. Butterflies twittered in my stomach.

_What if Lily thinks I look stupid?_

Suddenly I felt very self-conscious. I attempted to fix my part, but then I saw to familiar figures making their way towards us…

For a few seconds, I couldn't breathe.

Lily had curled her hair, letting it flow down her back. It looked full and even more brilliant than usual. Her bangs had been clipped to the side with a flower pin. I had forgotten what her hair looked like down, as she always tied it up for lessons. Her green, almond-shaped eyes were made more prominent, due to the fact she had put on very light eyeliner. I thought it was perfect; not too heavy, not too light. Lily's long, fair eyelashes were made even longer and darker by mascara. She wore a rather tight shirt, (no complaints there,) which complimented her figure beautifully.

Sirius was having difficulty taking his eyes off Sammi also. While Lily looked stunning without trying, Sammi looked like she tried _too_ hard. Her makeup was heavy and smudged, and an overpowering smell of perfume clogged my nostrils. If I thought Lily's shirt was tight, it was nowhere near to how tight hers was. Personally, I found her the exact opposite of attractive, but of course Sirius disagreed.

"Ready to set off?" I asked loudly. Sammi and Sirius were standing like dumbstruck fools, staring at each other. I could tell Lily felt just as uncomfortable as I did.

"What…? Oh, erm… sure," said Sirius.

Together we walked off into the bright afternoon light, my heart thumping madly in my chest.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: I do not own, in any form (minus the books and movies,) Harry Potter.

Anyway, thanks again to Jack Mason Potter for being a superb beta reader.

All the way to the Three Broomsticks, nobody said a word. I felt prickly under my robes, and kept having an urge to mess up my hair, to do _something_ to break the tension. Sirius didn't care how uncomfortable Lily and I were, and neither did Sammi. She seemed shocked that she was lucky enough to be going to Hogsmeade with _Sirius Black,_ the Hogwarts heart throb. I did notice that people were watching us walk along the path. I heard snapshots of their conversations.

"…Is Lily finally going out with Potter? I thought she hated him…"

Further along the way, there was a group of girls who shot Sammi dirty looks. She either didn't notice, or didn't care.

What started off as an exciting day was starting to feel like a big mistake.

"Sirius and James, good to see you!" cried Madam Rosmerta once we were seated in the Three Broomsticks. "Oh, you've brought friends! I recognize you, Miss Evans, but I can't say I know your name dear…" Madam Rosmerta nodded Sammi's way.

"Sammi Mocay," she said, flipping her hair and sending a wave of perfume my way. I tried very hard not to cough.

"We'll have two butterbeers," said Sirius, pointing to me.

"I'll have a gillywater," added Lily. Madam Rosmerta looked towards Sammi, but she shook her head. "Nothing for me," she said airily. The way she looked at Madam Rosmerta was one that an owner might give to a misbehaving dog. Who was she to stare someone down like that?

"Why did you decide to join us Evans? Not that we're complaining…" Sirius winked at her.

Lily shifted uncomfortable. "I owed Sammi a favor, and this is how I'm redeeming it," she said. Sirius nodded, sliding a butterbeer my way, grinning.

"Bottoms up mate."

We both took a long drink. The butterbeer made me feel a bit better and eased the tension. As I sat the bottle down, I wished I had something witty to say, something that would make Lily laugh. Out of nervousness, I went to run my hand through my hair.

_Lily hates when you do it. _

Deciding against it at the last moment, my elbow gave a funny twitch. It knocked over my butterbeer, which tipped and spilled all over Sirius and Sammi.

"Oops, I'm really sorry, here is a napkin; I can go get more…"

Sammi shrieked and jumped up, the front of her shirt dripping butterbeer.

"I can help you get this off," said Sirius, winking at me. He pulled her by the arm to the bathrooms, leaving Lily and me alone.

"Nice, Potter," she said dryly, playing with her straw. "I'm not complaining thought; they were getting on my nerves. Sammi thinks she is royalty sometimes; did you see the look she gave Madam Rosmerta?"

I smiled weakly and nodded, unable to talk. The silence stretched, and I felt like I had to say something, _anything…_

"Why were you crying on the second day of term," I blurted out, instantly regretting it. Lily raised an eyebrow, but answered my question nonetheless.

"I had gotten in a fight with my boyfriend," she said calmly.

I wanted to know more, but contained myself.

"Now, it's my turn to ask you a question."

Lily had a boyfriend? Were they still dating? I sincerely hoped not…

"Go on," I said, trying to look unconcerned, even though I felt like I had been hit in the stomach by a bludger.

"Why did you stick up for Severus that day? I have been noticing that you and Black have stopped messing with him…"

How was this so easy for her? Lily looked unperturbed by my baffled stare.

"Erm…" I began lamely.

"Well, you know, it just seemed wrong to curse him without giving him a chance," I said carefully. Lily nodded, looking pleased.

"If the same thing would have happened last year, I bet you that you would have let Sirius curse him and then laugh about it."

Slowly, I began to gain confidence. "Yeah, probably," I responded, meeting her eyes for the first time. They looked warm and happy, twinkling in the dim light of the pub.

We didn't talk for a while. Lily watched others walking in and out, not rushed to have a conversation. I fiddled with a nearby Christmas decoration.

"Wow Potter," Lily said suddenly. "You have been with me alone for about ten minutes, and you've been civil. Congratulations on achieving a record," she said grinning. Lily's face looked friendly. It took me a minute to realize she was okay with me talking to her. My heart leaped as it sunk in, a wonderful, flighty feeling like taking off on a broom. _We were talking._

I smiled widely, despite myself.

"Yeah, I know. I've given up on asking you out. Now I am okay with just being friends," I lied. She looked surprised.

"Did you say _friends?_ Nice to know you actually listened, even if it took five years."

So we talked for another few minutes, just enjoying each other's company. The tension between us had left with Sirius and Sammi. Lily laughed freely, tossing her hair a lot, I noticed. It seemed like a dream, all of it…

"Hey, we're back," said Sirius, sitting heavily next to me. Sammi looked disheveled, and oddly enough, there was no evidence that she had even tried to remove the stain on her shirt.

I felt a shot of annoyance. Everything was going perfectly; why did he have to come back? Lily obviously didn't want to stay either. She gave Sammi a look of disgust. I was pretty sure I was the only person that saw Lily roll her eyes.

"I'm going to go to Honeydukes. Bye Sammi, I'll meet you in the common room later," she said coolly, paying for her butterbeer.

I didn't want to stay if Lily wasn't.

"Yeah, I'm leaving too," I said, standing up. Lily gave me a suspicious look.

"You know, to finish my Charms homework," I added quickly.

We made our way out of the noisy pub. I walked in front of Lily so I could open the door. She grinned and thanked me.

Lily stopped outside, not meeting my eyes. When she spoke, her tone was shy and quiet, completely different from the confident, calm voice she had used in the Three Broomsticks.

"Well, I see you later Potter. You know, when you aren't being big-headed, you're a pretty good guy."

She gave me a dazzling smile and turned, leaving behind her strawberry scent. I inhaled deeply, and then let out a breath, feeling dizzy.

_Lily Evans thought I was a good guy._

I made sure she was out of sight before fist pumping. If there were any demeanors around, they wouldn't have stood a chance.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: I still don't own Harry Potter.

Feeling rather foolish standing in the middle of the road, I quickly began walking.

I didn't quite feel like going back up to the castle, and the prospect of rejoining Sirius and Sammi was a dismal one, so I decided to head towards Zonko's. The crisp December air bit at my exposed skin, so I was grateful for the warmth of the joke shop.

There were so many people in Zonko's that I barely had room to turn. Employees were yelling directions to each other, kids were laughing, and music was playing in the background. Even though I hadn't brought any gold, I still enjoyed browsing the merchandise. Dungbombs, Fanged Frisbees, and Biting Teacups- they had it all. At an earlier time, I would have bought everything in sight. Then again, at an earlier time, Lily would have still hated me. Her opinion mattered more to me than memories of boyish excitements.

"Hey James!" a voice called. Swiveling around, I saw Jonah, the Gryffindor Keeper. I had always found him to be cheerful and good to share a laugh with. I was glad that he was here too because needed some good company.

"Good to see ya mate," I said. We began walking through the aisles, talking Quiddich. Our first match of the season was coming up in two weeks. Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff had already played with Ravenclaw flatting Hufflepuff two-hundred and forty to one-hundred and ten. We were a good team, and I was confident that we could beat Slytherin in the upcoming match and eventually, Ravenclaw. We discussed the tactics that the Slytherin used.

"… Jacobs always sends his Beaters after the Chasers first," said Jonah, talking rapidly. "But that leaves them one Beater short. We should exploit that. With only one Beater covering the whole team, we should be able to get a few good hits…"

He paid for his items and we walked out together. Dusk was approaching quickly and by time we arrived at the common room, darkness had fallen.

Sirius wasn't back, so I assumed he was still with Sammi. Sitting down in one of the cozy armchairs, I pulled out my Charms essay and began working on it.

_Describe the incantation and wand movements used in performing a Banishing Charm._

Biting on my quill, I wrote furiously, pausing only to check spellings in my books. The warm fire was making me sleepy. After all, I had been up early and spent the whole day in Hogsmeade…

"James," said a voice, shaking my shoulder. "It's time for dinner."

My head was resting on my essay, which was now smeared. I cursed and looked up to see Sirius.

"Hey Prongs," I said, closing my books and capping my ink. "How was the rest of your day?"

Sirius just gave me a mischievous grin.

"You know, I did a bit of this and a little of that…"

I snorted and went to the dormitory to put away my bag. Rejoining Sirius, we waited for Moony and Wormtail to arrive. Together, we set of towards dinner, talking and laughing. Right outside the Great Hall we passed Severus and his friends, and I couldn't help but overhear their conversation.

"… Dirty mudbloods, they all deserve to be thrown out of here…"

That wiped the grin off my face. I stopped short, anger boiling inside of me. I grabbed Snivellus's robes before he could walk further.

"What the-?"

"_What did you just say?" _I growled. His black eyes were dilated in fear and his pale face has even paler than usual. The crowd around us had stopped to watch, but it didn't matter, I just wanted to hurt him as badly as I could. _How dare he say that word in front of me, how dare he insult Lily and all the other muggle-borns in this school…_

"What? I didn't say a thing, I just-"

Throwing him on the ground, I pulled out my wand. Severus did too, but I cut him off before he could finish.

"_Sectum-"_

"_REDUCTO!"_ I bellowed. Severus flew into the air and crashed into the pillar farther down the corridor with a sickening crunch.

"NO!"

A blur of red hair flew passed me, and I saw Lily running over to Severus. She shook him, but he did not wake.

"_What _is going on here?" demanded a sharp voice behind me. I felt a stone drop to the bottom of my stomach. I recognized that voice…

McGonagall appeared next to me, her thin lips compressed into a single line.

"Why is your wand out Mr. Potter?" she asked, looking around. Her eyes found Lily and Severus, surrounded by a group of people. She gasped, turning to me with a look of disappointment and disgust.

"Follow me, if you please," she said, not meeting my gaze. I gave a hopeless grimace to my friends before turning to follow her.

"Miss Evans, if you could take Mr. Snape up to the hospital wing…"

She nodded, helping him to his feet. Severus was conscious again, and I noticed that his head was bleeding badly. Lily gave me a look of pure hatred and turned away, arms around Severus's neck while she led him up the nearest staircase.

_I had messed everything I had been working towards with Lily all because I couldn't keep my anger in check…_

We stopped outside am empty corridor, where McGonagall turned to face me.

"Mr. Potter, I confess myself ashamed and disappointed in your behavior. As a clear violation of school rules, fifty points will be taken from Gryffindor, and you will serve a week's detention with me."

She turned to go, and I knew it was pointless to argue. The punishment didn't really bother me as much as the look on Lily's face.

_Not five hours ago, we were joking and laughing with each other. Now she is back to hating me._

Dragging my feet, I made my way back to the Great Hall, even though I didn't feel hungry anymore. Right now I wanted to grab the Invisibility cloak, put it on and never emerge again.

"What happened?" asked Wormtail as soon as I sat down. Not speaking, I piled food onto my plate just to appear busy.

"Got a detention for a week and lost us fifty points," I murmured. "Snivellus used that filthy word, knowing full well I'd curse him…"

I shook with rage again, remembering how he threw it out so casually, so _arrogantly._

"That wasn't Severus," said Remus quietly. "Avery was the one who said it."

I felt sick at this news. Severus had been cursed for no reason, hurt for no reason. I was no better than the sick friends of his that Lily so despised.

_Lily._

Everything I had worked for, everything I had sacrificed, ruined in thirty seconds of blind anger. I wanted to go apologize, tell her it was a big mistake. She, of course, would think I was back to my old self, no matter what I said. There was no doubt she would spurn any conversation if I sought her out. Now I would be surprised if she even met my gaze.


	7. Chapter 7

Our first Quidditch match of the season approached with an unnatural speed. The usual nerves and anxiety came with it. During classes, I would zone out and at meals I wouldn't eat.

"What's been going on with you James?" asked Remus during one dinner. I had again pushed away my plate. "You practically starve yourself and you don't talk anymore."

I shrugged, but I think they knew what the matter was.

After the fiasco with Severus and Lily, I had become sullen and quiet. Purposely, I would avoid my friends and preferred to study in the library and as a result my grades skyrocketed. However Sirius, Remus and Peter became disconnected from me. In classes, I got my work done quickly and accurately and would work ahead. I knew Sirius would have scoffed at my new study habits, but I didn't really talk to him.

I had been right about Lily: She didn't even look at me anymore. The day after the incident she bumped purposely into me before Potions, knocking my stuff out of my arms. Lily didn't even look back, but her friend Sammi smirked at me from behind her shoulder. Ever since Sirius had broken up with Sammi, she had been particularly nasty with me. Whenever we passed each other, she would mutter rude things into my ear.

Between them and my friends, the only thing I looked forwards to was Quidditch. I scheduled practices every night for hours at a time so I could avoid everybody. My team was mutinous, but we did get progressively better.

So that's how I found myself at dinner, the night before the match.

"Listen, I know your upset about the Evans thing, but that was weeks ago. She doesn't hate you, but ever since I broke up with Sammi, she had to pretend she hated you didn't she? If she forgave you too easily for cursing Snape, or if she forgave me too easily for breaking up with Sammi, it would have been obvious she liked you." explained Sirius. I looked at him in amazement.

"And how did you figure this out?" I asked him. He just shrugged and said, "It's pretty easy to tell she likes you. I saw her in the library the other day, watching you study from behind a shelf. When I asked her what she was doing, she nearly jumped out of her skin, but didn't answer me and stormed off."

This intrigued me greatly.

"Evans is definitely a different character. I don't know what her_ exact_ motive is, but I wouldn't worry about it."

"I don't believe you."

Padfoot snorted, taking a deep drink from his goblet.

"You should. That's all I'm going to say now, but you do realize that I know more than I let on?"

This was a rhetorical question, so I just grinned. He knew that he had reassured my fears for the umpteenth time.

That dinner was the best one I had in a while. Smiling and laughing again made all stress and pregame nerves disappear.

In the common room later, I felt lighthearted. Sirius and I were playing with a Fanged Frisbee, and even though Moony was a prefect, he was so glad to see me back to my normal self that he didn't care.

"Hey Remus," said Sirius, mischievous smile on his face, "Would you put us in detention is we played with the Frisbee?"

He considered us seriously for a moment.

"You know, just for this one night I'm not on duty."

It surprised me greatly, (but not in a bad way), when he got up and joined our game along with Peter.

Before bed, I had a team meeting with my players. We discussed tactics, weather patterns, and field conditions. The meeting went well into the night until I sent them all to bed. The common room was deserted, but I didn't quite feel like sleeping.

"Why are you still up?"

I turned around in my chair to see Lily coming down her staircase. She was in her pajamas, hair undone.

"I just can't sleep." I responded warily. Was she here to scold me?

"Can I join you?" she asked. I nodded and she took the seat opposite me, sitting cross-legged. Lily took a deep breath.

"James, I know why you cursed Severus. Sirius told me the whole story, and how you've been gloomy lately. I could only assume you felt bad about it. At meals I usually hear you laughing and joking with your friends, but now I see how sullen you are. During classes, you never even speak anymore." Lily sighed, fiddling with the ends of her hair before continuing. Why did all girls have to do that?

"So I felt guilty about the way I've been treating you. For a while, I've been trying to pluck up the courage to talk to you."

I stared at her, amazed.

"See, that day in the Three Broomsticks I finally realized you had changed. I realized you were an honest, funny, sweet guy that makes mistakes. And I also realized that I had been judging you unfairly for a long time. What I'm trying to say is that I want to give you a second chance, and see where it goes from there."

There was a gleam in her eye as the fire flicked over her face, casting a warm glow. She looked beautiful, far more beautiful than she did at Hogsmeade.

"What do you say James?" she asked.

"Since when do you call me James?" I responded, raising my eyebrow.

"Since the day you decided to grow up."

I grinned and she smiled back. Lily understood my meaning.

"Are you staying up?" I asked.

She nodded.

"Can we talk for a bit then?"

Unfolding her legs and reclining luxuriously, she smiled lustily. Her long red hair hung over the chair's arm. Lily looked silly, yet gorgeous at the same time.

"Yes," she said huskily. I laughed and so did she.

"Are you going home for Christmas?" I asked her.

Lily nodded and pulled out a gift.

"I wanted to give this to you before you left," she said, handing me it. "It's not that much, but I hope you like it. Don't open it until Christmas though!"

She laughed again; a ringing sound which warmed me from head to toe that had nothing to do with the crackling fire.

"I didn't get you a gift, but that doesn't mean I won't. You see, you had a tendency to throw my previous gifts away in years past. Let's see: In the fourth year, I got you a set of _very_ short dress robes that I found on my bed when I came back with a long note telling me how much you disliked my gift. The next year, I bought you a box of chocolate and a few sugar quills which you threw in the fire the second I gave them to you. It was actually quite sad because you didn't even open it. I spent a long time wrapping that, if you must know."

Lily smiled, running her hands through her hair.

"Now that I think about it, you're right."

She yawned widely, and closed her eyes. Before long, her breathing evened out and she fell asleep.

As I watched her sleep, I counted the many things I liked about her:

The lovely red hair that was as bright as the fire behind her.

Her green eyes that seemed to dance and sparkle when she laughed.

Her kindness to people, whatever their circumstances might be.

The bubbly personality that could make anyone love her…

My eyelids began to get heavy. The warm fire, my stomach that was finally comfortably full, and the excitement of finally mending my relationship with Lily…

And with one last look at her, I fell asleep, a smile on my face and her gift clutched to my chest.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: I do not own Harry Potter, sadly. Anyway, I would like to thank James Mason Potter for his splendid beta work and encourage you to read his fabulous Lily/James story, which I beta read for him.

.net/s/7671968/1/Days_Go_By

Dawn was streaking across the sky when I awoke. The fire's embers were still glowing brightly in the fireplace. Lily was asleep, her head held at an awkward angle. Her mouth was slightly agape, and her arms were draped rather artistically over her body. I walked carefully to the armchair which she was occupying and I crouched in front of her.

"Lily?" I whispered, shaking her sleeping form. "Wake up."

She jerked, almost hitting me with her arms. However, her hair hit me full in the face, filling my nostrils with the strawberry scent I had come to love.

"Wha…?" she asked, bewildered. Lily nearly fell out of her chair, but I caught her by the shoulders to steady her. A sticky moment followed afterwards.

"We were talking here last night and we fell asleep," I said quickly to break the tension. "I didn't want people to get the wrong idea."

She nodded readily, stretched, and yawned widely. Lily seemed so confident, totally not bothered that I was right there, totally not bothered that her hair was sticking up untidily, totally not bothered that we had just woken up feet away. This only made me admire her more.

"It's nearly dawn," she said conversationally. "That means the Quidditch match is in a few hours."

The smile that was on my face slid off fast. I had_ completely_ forgotten that the match was today, and all the uncomfortable nervousness rapidly began eating at my happiness.

"I take it from your pale face and grimace that you had forgotten?" she asked, playfully punching my arm.

I cursed loudly, burying my face into my hands. My stomach was twisting into knots, making it hard to breathe.

"Language," said Lily, tapping my shoulder. I looked up at her smiling face and my anxiety lessened slightly.

"You need these, I think," she said, leaning down and gently putting my glasses on my face. I could feel myself go red as her hands brushed my cheek every so lightly…

"Go get ready and give us a win," Lily added, giving me a push in the small of my back, startling me from my thoughts. I could hear the doors opening in the dormitories above. Nodding, I picked up the small parcel Lily had given me for Christmas and headed up the stairs.

_My first game as Captain… What if we lose and everyone thinks I'm a terrible, biased caption? _

"James, there you are!" squeaked Wormtail. "Everyone is up and was wondering where you were! Anyway, good luck in the match today. Though everyone knows you'll do great," he added earnestly.

At this point, I couldn't speak. My throat was constricted, making hard to do much of anything. I sat down on my four poster, playing idly with the hangings, waiting for the rest of the boys to come down from the bathrooms. Wormtail seemed to notice that I didn't want to talk, and ceased the conversation which I gratefully embraced.

"James, Peter! Let's go and get something to eat as I'm starving."

Sirius emerged from the bathroom door, a towel around his waist and his hair wet. Despite my nervousness, I snorted. It would be Sirius to walk in a room and announce how hungry he was.

I stood up and took the comb from Padfoot, using it to flatten my hair. I handed it back to him and began pacing until the rest of them were ready. I knew Remus was in the prefect's bathroom, and Sirius was almost done, so it wouldn't be very long.

This game was the worst as far as nerves I had ever had since my first game. In fact, it felt like the first game all over again. What happened if I screwed up and everyone thought I was a dud?

I wrung my hands, still pacing. I couldn't control my anxiety; it felt like I was going to collapse in a nervous breakdown…

"Let's go, I'm ready- Blimey, you look terrible," said Sirius, frowning. "You look like Snivellus confronted with shampoo."

Now I couldn't even laugh. I just gave a weak smile, hoping my appearance wasn't as bad as Sirius made it out to be.

The corridors were practically empty; it was still very early in the morning. I was thankful for it though because I didn't think I could take the "Good luck James," or "You'll do great."

We sat down at the deserted Gryffindor table and while the others ate with gusto, I felt sick. They all knew my pregame nerves and didn't force the food on me.

I watched the hall fill up gradually, and I smiled when Lily walked in, hair freshly washed and pulled back in a loose bun. She gave me thumbs up as she walked by.

"I'm going out to the pitch," I whispered, and left the Great Hall before it got too crowded inside.

As I walked across the grounds, I was surprised at how cold it was. The wind bit at my nose and my exposed skin seemed to freeze.

I quickly changed into my Quidditch robes with some extra layers to protect myself from the elements. Picking up my broomstick, I walked onto the pitch for a few warm-up laps before the match.

The second I took off, I felt so much better. All tensions, anxiety, and nerves melted away with the ground. Higher and higher I flew, doing a few turns and loops. The wind made my eyes water, and the cold froze my hands to my broom handle, but the exaltation of being in the sky where I belonged made me forget all of those things.

"James!" called a voice down on the ground. I leaned down and saw Jonah standing in the middle of the pitch in his robes waving his hands wildly. I turned and dove steeply, barely pulling out of the dive.

"What's wrong?" I asked, shivering.

"Jacob can't come to the match today," he said, rubbing his arms. "He ate treacle tart that had a mysterious potion in it. Madam Pomfrey is sorting him out. I saw a Slytherin slip it on his plate this morning."

I cursed again and threw my broomstick on the ground, suddenly angry.

"What are we supposed to do then? How are we going to find a Seeker?" I yelled, stomping my foot. Jonah jumped back, surprised.

"That's the thing- Lily Evans offered to play Seeker for us this game."


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: I do not own Harry Potter.

As always, many thanks to Jack Mason Potter. If anybody is looking for more Lily/James fanfictions, try Days Go By, which it written by him. It really is terrific and I highly recommend it.

"Did… Did you just say _Lily Evans_?" I asked, momentarily dumbstruck. Jonah nodded his head vigorously.

"We found a spare set of robes for her. She is getting a broomstick fitted right now."

"And since when did she play Quidditch?"

Jonah shrugged, still shivering. I gave him a small push and nodded towards the locker room. He seemed to get my message that I needed to be alone for a bit.

Picking up my broomstick, I mounted and took off again, head still whirling. Why had Lily offered to play? Was she any good? Even if she did play, would it be a big mistake to let her?

I circled the pitch slowly, scanning the grounds. Light had fully risen, and it illuminated every inch of Hogwarts's glorious landscape. In the distance, the Black Lake's icy waters glittered in the light. The surface was completely still; it looked like perfect, unscathed glass. Beyond that, there were mountains that surrounded the area. Their snow-covered peaks soared into the sky majestically. The beauty of it would have been spectacular, but given the circumstances…

Slowly, all around me, the stands began to fill with students, fresh from breakfast. Large banners with the Gryffindor emblem were common amongst my house, while the Slytherins sported silver and green scarves.

I landed lightly, and dismounted quickly. The excitement and mystery of the match had made me lose track of time.

Making my way through the throng of people, I finally reached the quiet solitude of the warm locker rooms. The rest of the team sat on benches, looking pale. As I met each one of their gazes, I noticed Lily wasn't there.

"Where is Evans?"

Nobody said a word; they merely shrugged. I decided to wait for her arrival to begin the pregame speech. An uneasy silence descended over us; I could practically taste the anticipation and excitement.

"I'm here!" gasped Lily, clutching her side. She was holding an old, battered school broom and was wearing the Gryffindor Quidditch robes. The red and gold clashed magnificently with her vibrant hair.

She sat down and then it was all eyes on me. I took a deep, composing breath before starting my pep talk.

"I know we have lost Jacob for this match, but that does not make it a total loss. Currently, we have a superb Keeper, two fantastic Beaters, three great Chasers and a Seeker whom I am sure will prove herself."

I paused, pacing up and down, my hands folded behind my back.

"Now, we have practiced hours and hours for this match. Did we put in all that effort to be wasted in a single game? Slytherin is a completely beatable team, we know that. But knowing and believing are two different things. The only thing I ask of you to do this game is _believe._ Knowing won't be enough to pull through; you have to want it."

I ended my speech, giving them each a hard gaze. I barely even met Lily's stare; I didn't need distractions now. It was very hard to push thoughts of her to the back of my mind when she was feet away from me, emanating that strawberry scent….

"Good speech James," said Rodger, a gruff-looking seventh year Beater. He gave me a pat on the back and stood up. Next to him, Mark, another seventh year stood up. They both shouldered their brooms and got in line behind me. A powerful emotion arose within me. It was pride, pride on a team I had worked ceaselessly on honing, on perfecting. They all looked determined, ready to play a hard match. A smile crept across my face. _We are going to do this._

"Come on, let's get a win."

The rush of emotions was lost the second I stepped out onto the pitch. The crowd around me was defiantly cheering, drowning out all other thoughts in my mind. Sun dazzled my eyes, and the sudden cold shocked my senses.

We marched out together, in unison. When we had reached the middle of the pitch, I stopped short, waiting for the Slytherins to make their entrance.

"Shake hands," commanded Madam Hooch when they had arrived. The burly, mean looking Slytherin Captain gripped my hand in a crushing handshake. I tried not to grimace as I squeezed his hand as hard as I could back.

"I want a nice, clean game _out of all of you,"_ she said, glancing to the Slytherin Captain. When she turned away, he cracked his knuckles and smiled evilly. As much as I tried not to be, I was intimidated by his size and apparent brute strength.

"Mount your brooms," she barked, unleashing the bludgers. As soon as they were liberated, they rose into the air, making the strange screeching sound they usually did. Madam Hooch released the Snitch and threw up the Quaffle. The game had begun.

"Markus Adams has seized the Quaffle," called the announcer. I couldn't tell who it was, but they sounded familiar…

"And Lily Evans is the last-minute replacement Seeker on the Gryffindor team! I never thought she was the Quidditch type, but hopefully she does well."

"James, here!" Mark called, tossing me the Quaffle. I caught it and flew in formation behind him. A rush of wind behind our shoulders told us that a Bludger was trailing closely.

"I'll get that," yelled Roger, flying by us and swinging his heavy bat. With a satisfying _thud _it went spiraling back towards the Slytherin end.

"Casey," I called, throwing her the Quaffle. This time I swerved behind her to protect her blind side and Mark flew to her right to get open again…

"Gryffindor scores!" called the announcer. A great bellow of approval came from the Gryffindor supporters. I looked up, smiling and saw Lily hovering about, intent on catching the Snitch.

"Slytherin is in possession of the Quaffle- Ooh, a nasty Bludger to the head of Lucas, the Gryffindor Beater; he's definitely going to feel that one tomorrow… And a great save from Jonah, the Keeper. Potter with the Quaffle, he hands it off to Markus, who gives it to Casey… And a drop from her," added the commentator lamely.

I groaned with the others. We had to win this game and we were only up by ten…

Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a blur of red. Turning around, I saw Lily streaking towards our goalposts, the Slytherin Seeker close on her tail…

I knew what was going to happen before it did: Lily pulled out of her dive steeply and cleanly, narrowly missing the goalposts. The Slytherin Seeker wasn't so lucky however, and crashed straight into them. His head lolled forwards on his broom at an awkward angle.

I couldn't help but be impressed by that bit of flying. Lily definitely was capable, and obviously talented. I smiled a little to myself. That was one more thing to add to the long list of Lily pros…

"James!" screamed Casey, pointing. My head whipped around, and I saw the Slytherin Captain barreling towards me. I was a second too late and then…

_WHAM!_

All the breath seemed to vacate my lungs. I gasped, trying to reel it back in, while trying to steady myself on my broom. Stars swam in my vision and bile filled my mouth.

"Unlawful conduct!" yelled the commentator, obviously angry. "That should be a foul… And yes, it's given! Potter shall take it himself. He always has been a great Chaser… It's twenty-zero, Gryffindor!"

Our luck seemed to spiral downwards from there. Within ten minutes, half the audience was freezing and we were down by forty. The Beaters became frustrated, which didn't do us any good. Jonah was losing his confidence in goal, letting in point after point. Inwardly, I was horrified at our performance.

_Please, please let us win, _I prayed silently.

"It seems as if the Slytherin Seeker has seen something that last-minute replacement Lily Evans has not… Yes, it is the Golden Snitch!"

I stopped flying immediately to watch their competition. It seemed as if the whole audience was holding their breath as they raced.

Lily was on his tail, and then they were shoulder to shoulder….

She stretched out her arm, reaching for the glittering ball. From my distance, I saw her pale fingers close around it. A great, tumultuous roar arose from the Gryffindor stands….

"GRYFFINDOR WINS!"


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: I do not own Harry Potter.**

**Thanks again to Jack Mason Potter for his beta work. You do a fantastic job. **

**If you are looking for more Lily/James fanfictions, I would recommend "Days Go By," which is written by him. It is very good, and I am sure you would enjoy it.**

I landed clumsily in the midst of Gryffindor fans that had spilled onto the pitch, all yelling in glee.

On their shoulders rested our Seeker, laughing. Lily's hair was in a messy bun and her face was red from the cold, but her eyes shone with pride. I walked alongside my team and the press of people. I heard vague shouts of my name, but I couldn't really hear all that well. I was so relieved that we had won and I had proved myself a worthy captain. That had to be the best feeling of all.

"James!"

I turned around to see Sirius, Remus and Wormtail making their way through the crowd. All of them looked windswept and cold, yet delighted.

"You were _absolutely _brilliant! That little piece of flying Evans did was great! How did you ever think of that?" Sirius roared, clapping my back.

"That was all her," I said, smiling weakly.

Next to me, Wormtail sighed in admiration.

"I knew you would do fantastic," he said, his voice filled with longing. Peter was always overly impressed with just about a_nything._

"Jeez Wormtail," said Sirius, rolling his eyes. "You would have thought Prongs saved someone from a burning building."

Peter grinned and shrugged. Padfoot punched his shoulder playfully.

"Anyway, I am going to sneak off to a certain portrait of fruit, where I am sure a group of house elves would be more than happy to help us celebrate in the common room…"

Sirius winked at us, and dashed through the crowd. His dark head bobbled through the mass of bodies and then disappeared.

"I have to go to the locker rooms. See you guys later."

I broke apart from the group making their way into the castle. When they were gone, the grounds were quiet once again. I breathed deeply, taking in the cool, crisp air. It wouldn't be long before we were gone from Hogwarts, as Christmas was fast approaching. Tomorrow Padfoot, Moony and I would be boarding the train home. Wormtail chose to stay at school, claiming he was behind on homework.

I had been right about my parents being happy with Padfoot coming to stay with us. In their letter, they expressed their eagerness to see Sirius, and were more than happy to set up a room for him. Padfoot's spirits were sky-high since the owl arrived. This was the first time he had ever looked forward to Christmas break.

Despite myself, I missed my family a lot. Already, I could imagine my welcome-home greeting: Mum would be waiting for me with one of her amazing mice pies, still warm from the oven. Dad would clap my back gruffly and ask how term went and inquire about Quidditch. Like father, like son; he and I were both avid Quidditch fans so he was delighted when I made Gryffindor captain. I could practically feel the king-sized bed with the fluffy pillows and clean sheets, freshly washed by our house-elf, Blinkly.

I saw Jonah emerging from the lockerooms, a set of robes in his arms.

"Here, these are Lily's. She forgot them back there."

I nodded my thanks and took them from him. Jonah ran off to the castle without a look back, obviously eager to join the festivities inside.

Pressing the robes to my face, I inhaled deeply. They smelled like Lily, a mixture between the strawberry scent I knew so well and a new, peppermint smell I didn't recognize. Nonetheless, the scent was intoxicating. It made my longing for her even more intense.

I quickly undressed and stuffed my robes into my locker. The party awaiting me was sure to be a terrific one and I had an excuse to talk to Lily…

As I approached the common room, I could hear the noise from the end of the corridor leading up to the portrait hole.

"Courage," I said to the Fat Lady tensely. She swung open, revealing the craziest scene I had ever witnessed.

The room was so crowded that there was barely space to turn. Amongst the Gryffindors, I recognized a few Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws. Obviously the prefects were too busy to see the others, and they couldn't be blamed. On every surface there was food- treacle tart, Yorkshire pudding, cauldron cakes, butterbeers, and other things I couldn't name.

It looked like the Gryffindors were using all of their Zonko's merchandise. Fanged Frisbees flew around, and I heard a few screaming yo-yo's. People were yelling and laughing, adding to the mass chaos. It was sweltering in the room, which increased the general discomfort.

I pushed through the crowd, trying to find Lily. Along the way, I was stopped by various Gryffindors, giving their congratulations and compliments, though they didn't get that I did not want to chat.

A great deal of noise was coming from the center of the party, which gave me an excuse to leave my current admirer.

In the middle of the room, Wormtail was asleep, completely unaware what was going on around him. Padfoot and a few other boys were taking turns Transfiguring Peter's eyebrows, much to the amusement of the crowd. I watched as Sirius muttered a spell, a mischievous grin on his face. Wormtail's eyebrows turned a violent shade of orange and became very bushy. The onlookers roared with laughter.

I grinned, turning away so I could continue my search for Lily. My eye found her almost immediately. She was perched on a table, alone and watching the party.

"Hey Evans," I said hopping on the table next to her. "You did really great today."

She shrugged modestly, not meeting my gaze.

"Nah, I'll bet you'll want your Seeker back… How did you get my robes?" she added, raising an eyebrow. "I've been looking for those."

I had forgotten about her clothes in my arms. It probably looked suspicious.

"Oh, you had left them in the locker rooms. Jonah gave them to me to give to you."

Lily nodded, taking them from me.

"Thanks. Anyway, I put the borrowed Gryffindor robes in the washroom."

"You don't have to be a replacement," I said, with an encouraging smile. "I mean, I have never seen flying like that. When you pulled out of that dive with the Slytherin Seeker, and that catch…"

I trailed off, really hoping she wouldn't resign, but not entirely for the interest of the team.

"I learned most of my tricks from Severus and the Slytherins," Lily said bitterly. "You see, before we er… had that _disagreement,_ I used to play with matches with them that got pretty intense, and lowly moves like that were all too common."

Uncomfortable silence fell between us, and we watched as the common room emptied. After all, it was the end of term tomorrow. That meant that I wouldn't see Lily for two weeks…

"Well, good night," she said, getting down. I was surprised at her abrupt departure. Desperateness seized me, and I had the urge to do something radical…

"Wait," I cried, grabbing the back of her robes. She turned around, looking curious.

"What?"

Without thinking, I wrapped my arms around Lily. I felt her tense under me, but I didn't care. Closing my eyes, I inhaled her scent; I memorized the curve of her waist, which I was currently holding…

Lily relaxed slightly in my arms, and then pulled away gently. I reluctantly let go.

"Merry Christmas, Evans," I said cautiously. If I pulled that kind of antic last year, I was guaranteed a good hex, so I was a little wary; though it made me feel better that she was smiling.

"Call me _Lily, _James."

I watched as she turned away, and breathed out deeply. Despite myself, I smiled widely as she disappeared around the spiral staircase.

Back in the boys' dormitory, I laid down for the last time in my four-poster. The moon was shining brightly, casting rays of light in the dark room. It was empty, as Sirius was still with Wormtail and Remus was probably out walking. After all, the moon was almost full.

_What a fantastic end of term._


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: I do not own Harry Potter.**

**Thank you to Jack Mason Potter once again for beta reading my story. You make it a lot better, and I really appreciate your hard work.**

**I would like to recommend "Days Go By," which is by Jack. It is a very well-written Lily/James story and I think you would enjoy it.**

**Thank you for all the reviews. They make me happy(:**

I lugged my suitcase out to the Hogsmeade train station. The morning was sunny, despite the cold weather, which increased the overall happy feeling of the students heading home. Almost every person in my year was leaving the school, so the platform was busy.

"Hey James," said Sirius, nudging me in my ribs suddenly, a smirk on his face. "How are you and Evans doing?"

I didn't tell him what happened last night. After all, he had been preoccupied with Wormtail, whose eyebrows were currently being sorted out by Madam Pomfrey back at Hogwarts. It turned out that eyebrows could only be Transfigured a certain amount of times before the damage became permanent.

"You know- just friends," I said, shrugging.

Sirius raised his eyebrows questioningly, but didn't say anything. I could tell he didn't believe me though. He had known me too long and too well to believe that I had just given up on Lily, but I hadn't had any public interaction with her that would seem anything more than friendly since Hogsmeade. We were more comfortable with each other, which was a lot better than the chasing game I played with her last year.

Sirius and I climbed aboard the Hogwarts Express, which was letting of thick steam. It was only minutes before it left the station.

"Is Remus in the prefects' carriage?" I asked when we had found an empty compartment.

"Yeah, but he'll be back here in a few hours."

The train lurched forward, and slowly we gained speed. I pressed my face to the window to catch one last view of the castle before it disappeared around the bend.

Sirius and I fell into conversation, laughing and joking. The casualness of it all was so relieving- after all the Quidditch worries, homework stress and Lily, it had been a busy term. The hours flew by, and I had a good time.

Before long, Remus arrived, having completed his prefect duties.

"Hey guys, we have an hour left until we reach platform 9 ¾," Moony said, closing the door behind him. Sirius groaned loudly.

"I am absolutely _starving_," he complained. "I know James's mum will have made something fantastic, but I need something to eat _now_."

"I just saw the food cart making its way down here- yes, here she comes."

Remus was right, and the familiar witch that pushed the trolley appeared in doorway.

"Anything to eat my dears?" she asked sweetly.

Padfoot and I immediately pulled out handfuls of gold. The licorice wands and Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans were just too much to ignore.

"I'll take two of everything," I said, putting the coins into the witch's hands. Padfoot got the same thing I did.

While Sirius picked out the sweets, I spotted a familiar ginger head a few compartments down. Lily was laughing with her friends, tossing her hair every once in a while. I watched her for a few moments, a faint smile on my face.

"Come on mate, who are you looking at…? I thought you were just _friends,_" said Sirius, peering into Lily's compartment. "Here, take your stuff."

He shoved a large amount of sweets into my arms. We quickly divided up them with Moony and had a good time eating through the food.

"Ugh, my stomach hurts," said Sirius a little while later. I had to agree with him; it felt like I had eaten the whole Hogwarts Feast.

"Mine too," voiced Remus, massaging his abdomen. "Thank goodness we are fifteen minutes away from the platform."

Being the end of the train ride, we had to change into our Muggle clothes and get our luggage off the racks. Carefully, I removed my cage from beside the suitcases. Inside was my owl, Wasdin. Usually he screeched like a Howler, so it was a relief that he was asleep, head tucked beneath his wing.

The train began to slow down, and before long, the platform came into view. I was beyond excited to go home to my family, with Sirius coming along and two weeks off, it promised to be a great break.

As quickly as I could, I exited the train and scanned the crowds for the familiar black hair that was just like mine…

"Mum," I said quietly as I approached her. She was waiting with my dad on the other side of the barrier.

I dropped my luggage that was holding to embrace her. It felt good to be in her arms again, even if I would never admit it.

"James," she said, her voice muffled in my shoulder. "Even though you've left six years in a row, it still doesn't get any easier."

We broke apart and she gave me a watery smile, patting my cheek.

"And here is Sirius! Yes, I do believe you've gotten more handsome…"

Sirius grinned and gave my mum a hug. She began talking to him as I turned to my father.

"Hi dad," I said awkwardly. I gave him a quick hug and handshake.

"Good term son?" he asked, ruffling my hair as he always did. Everyone always told me I took after my father, with our hazel eyes and black hair, not to mention our shared passions for Quidditch and a good prank. The only resemblance I had with my mother was our smiles. We had the exact same slightly crooked grin.

"Yeah," I responded. "You'll never guess who played Seeker for us in our match right before we left."

"Who?" he asked, smiling as he picked up Waslin's cage. Quidditch was always an easy subject to talk about between us.

"Lily Evans," I said enthusiastically. My dad knew my feelings towards Lily, and I had often gone to him for advice in my earlier years. Now, I usually kept these things secret.

"Really?" he asked innocently, but I could see the mischief in his eyes. "Is she the same pretty red-headed girl you keep tripping yourself over?"

Last year when I had seen Lily on the platform, I had convinced her to come meet my family. However, she wasn't pleased when I told them we were dating. I remember the burning look of distaste she gave me before stalking off

The year before that, I had tried to carry Lily's stuff to her trolley for her. She was pleasantly surprised until I had asked her to give me a kiss for my exertions. Sirius had dared me to, and being the young hot-head I was, I readily agreed. That scenario ended with a sharp kick to the knee.

"Really?" I groaned, looking at my dad.

Sirius however, was howling with laughter. I punched him hard in the shoulder to get him to shut up.

"I know James takes after you," said my mother disdainfully, "but that doesn't mean you have to act his age."

My dad but his arm around my mum's shoulders and kissed the top if her head lightly. I smiled, watching their playful banter. They always joked around together like that, which made it hard for me to imagine a marriage any more perfect than theirs.

"I set up a Portkey on a deserted hill not far from here," said my mum. "It won't take long to reach and it's a nice day for a walk."

The four of us discussed term and Quidditch as we made our way to the Portkey. My mum, of course, wanted to know how classes went and how I was doing with that "lovely, sweet girl" I had been infatuated with for what seemed forever. So Sirius being Sirius, launched into a long-winded story about how Lily and I had been dancing around each other all term, and ended with me throwing my broom at her feet and pledging my undying love for her.

"Are you serious?" asked my father, trying to contain his grin.

"No," I said, rolling my eyes. Next to me, my father burst out laughing. Sirius looked mildly pleased with himself.

"I have a surprise for you boys," my mother said, interrupting our conversation. She looked expectantly at us for an inquiry and when none came, she huffed impatiently.

"Well, I cooked a few mince pies for you boys. I know how you love them, and I figured you would want to play a few rounds of Quidditch before we eat dinner."

"Excellent!" said Sirius enthusiastically. "I love your pies, Mrs. Potter!"

My mum smiled widely and patted his shoulder. "You're a dear," she said fondly. "Anyway, we are having some family over for a week or so. They are quite excited to play the big Quidditch captain in a game."

Every year when I got back from Hogwarts, my family would have an annual Quidditch match. It was always good fun, and it should be even better now that Sirius was there. I knew my cousins would love him, and my female cousins would adore him.

"Here we are," announced my father. On top of the grassy slope was a glowing silver tea kettle. "All right, on the count of three, grab hold of it. One, two, _three."_

I felt an uncomfortable jerking around my navel, but it was over in a second. When I stood up again, I saw the familiar open fields surrounding my house, and the forests beyond. The house was light up, and I could already see my family around the table. I breathed in a deep breath, taking in the sweet winter air.

_I'm home._


	12. Chapter 12

The next week seemed to fly by. Sirius, my cousins and I spent most of our time out in the open orchard behind my house, playing Quidditch. Later, we would come in with red faces and frozen hands where mum would have a warm cup of tea and some of her wonderful treacle tart ready. Sirius said often that this was the closest he had come to paradise.

"Come on guys, today's Christmas!"

I opened my eyes groggily to see my one of my younger cousins, Amelia, come running into my room. Due to the full house, Sirius was forced to sleep in the set of bunk beds in my room.

"I don't _care_," Padfoot voiced from above me.

"Wake up Sirius," she giggled, climbing right over me to get into his bunk bed. "Mum told me to get you guys up. It's nearly eleven o'clock."

I heard a dull _thud_ as Amelia got hit with a pillow. She shrieked and proceeded to pull the sheets off his bed.

"Oi!" he roared, pushing her off his bunk, and I snorted. Amelia was completely taken with Sirius since the day he had arrived. Every minute she could was spent trying to get Sirius to play with her. Amelia was only ten, so generally he was good with her.

"Jamsie," she cooed, climbing into my bed instead. "Time to get up!" She tried to tickle me under my chin.

I pushed her hand away, burying my face into my pillow.

"Come on, don't you want to see what your girlfriend got you?"

I immediately became more alert. I had forgotten about Lily's gift, and with a twinge of guilt, I realized I hadn't gotten her anything.

"Okay, we are getting up."

She laughed, evidently pleased with herself and zoomed out of the room, singing Christmas carols at the top of her lungs.

"Little ball of energy, that one is," muttered Sirius, dangling his bare feet over the top of his bunk. "How did she know about Evans anyway?"

Since I was from a big family, everyone knew everything about each other. I had been clapped on the back from several of my older cousins for absurd things that had to do with Evans. Frequently, I had been asked to retell the story of how Lily and I ended up on a thestral, riding off into the sunset. Another popular request was the tale of how I saved Lily from the giant squid. How they made up such crazy stories was beyond me, but I had my suspicions about Sirius and my dad.

"Yeah," I agreed, grabbing my glasses from the bedside table and ignoring the latter question. "But then again, all of them are."

We got dressed quickly and headed downstairs. The smells coming from the kitchen were fantastic and had been an excellent motivator.

"Good morning boys," said my mother, coming over to hug us, "Merry Christmas."

She handed Sirius a large box, wrapped in Muggle paper. Mum did quite like the way the Muggles wrapped their presents.

"Where's dad?" I asked, taking my gift from her.

She laughed, her brown eyes twinkling.

"He is in the kitchen. Your father insisted on cooking the farewell breakfast this morning. After all, everyone is leaving by Portkey in a few hours."

I knew Sirius would be a bit disappointed. Even though he said my younger family annoyed him, I could tell that he liked the extra attention. It probably overwhelmed him to see such a large, close-knit family that was so unlike his own.

"Excellent! Thank you so much, Mrs. Potter!" Padfoot exclaimed

I looked over to see what my mum had gotten Sirius. Inside was a few of her pies that he loved and a pair of hand-knitted Gryffindor gloves. I knew Sirius would flaunt them in front of his family if he ever saw them again. Anything that had to do with Gryffindor severely upset them, and it gave Sirius a bit of happiness to constantly remind them that he wasn't part of their pure-blood, Slytherin, Dark-Arts-obsessed family.

"This is from Andromeda," my mum informed, handing him another parcel. She usually sent him a small gift for his birthday and Christmas. According to Sirius, Andromeda had run off with a Muggle named Ted Tonks, and he hadn't seen her since.

He unlaced the small box, which contained a large bar of Muggle chocolate. Sirius chuckled, and pushed my gift towards me.

"Aren't you going to open it?" he inquired, his mouth full of chocolate.

I tore off the paper, revealing the Do-It-Yourself broomstick kit I had wanted for months. I tried to save money for it, but Sirius and I had ended up spending it on various things in Hogsmeade.

"Wow," I murmured, running my hands over the glossy surface. My mum leaned over and squeezed my shoulders.

"You can thank your father for that," she said kindly. "I didn't want to make a trip to Diagon Alley for it, but he insisted and finally went himself."

My dad waved from the stove, and I nodded my thanks, still in awe.

Sirius groaned with envy beside me. We had been scourging Quidditch ads in the _Daily Prophet_, trying to look for a good price on it.

"Go take your stuff upstairs; I have to clear the table for breakfast," my mum said, picking up the wrapping paper. Sirius grabbed his stuff and headed back to our shared room, but I lingered.

"Er…Mum, may I have a word?" I asked uncomfortably. She looked a bit surprised, but quickly agreed.

I lead her away from the busy kitchen into the deserted living room.

"What is it?" she asked, washing rag still in her hand. I shifted awkwardly before responding.

_Get it over with._

"Mum, do you think you can give me something for Lily?" I asked, quickly.

Her eyes widened momentarily, and I saw the beginning of a smile playing at her lips. I could feel my face go red.

"And why?" she asked.

"Well, I meant to get her something at Hogsmeade, but I forgot to. Then with Quidditch and things like that, I got distracted and never sent you an owl so I could ask you for something… You're good at picking out gifts anyway," I finished lamely. It wasn't the entire truth; I just didn't know what Lily would want, so I kept putting off buying her a gift.

"Yes, yes of course. I think I have a lovely little bracelet that I never wore she might like… Wait here."

She rushed off, leaving me in the living room alone, my face still red. Although it was embarrassing, I knew I would much rather have one uncomfortable moment than have Lily think I forgot her on Christmas.

"Here, take this," said my mum a few minutes later, pushing a small box into my hand. I carefully opened it, revealing a golden bracelet inlaid with a singular, emerald jewel that was the exact same color of Lily's eyes. I couldn't imagine a more perfect gift. It was simple, yet elegant, even if it was a bit expensive. That part didn't bother me that much; our family had always been a bit on the wealthy side.

"It's great; thanks mum," I mumbled, not sure what to do. I hoped she understood my appreciation. "I'm going to send it in the Muggle post; I know how her sister hates anything magical."

I hurried out of the room, and made my way to the study. Usually, we kept a few envelopes for when we contacted Muggles. I wasn't even sure if we had any Muggle family, so it was puzzling why we kept them.

I scrawled out Lily's address on the front of the envelope, and slipped the box inside with difficulty. Next, I took out a stamp and placed it in the corner, like I had learned from Remus. Then I searched through the drawers in my father's desk until I found a piece of parchment.

_Dear Lily,_

_I sent you this in hopes that you will look at it as a friendly gift. I would be happy if you don't chuck it out like my previous presents. Anyway, I really don't know how Muggle post works, but I hope it reaches you before we leave back to Hogwarts. _

_Merry Christmas,_

_James_

I read the letter over, checking for errors. It seemed to be pretty good, so I hastily put the letter into the envelope and quickly made my way out of the house. We had a mailbox, but it was overgrown with ivy and never used, so I walked a little ways down the lane on which we lived to our nearest Muggle neighbors.

Outside, it was very cold. There was snow on the ground, packed hard from the below-freezing temperatures we had experienced lately. Fresh snow was swirling lightly from the sky. It dusted the branches of the evergreens that lined the lane. High snow banks surrounded me from every side, and twinkling Christmas trees could be seen in the windows of the Muggle houses. The whole scene looked like a postcard.

Unsure if placing letters in someone else's mailbox was illegal; I ducked behind a bush in the neighbor's yard and put my letter in. Since they were Muggles, they probably would be suspicious to see me snooping around their mailbox.

I quickly made my way back to the house, my feet freezing. I was sure to use the side door so my family didn't ask any odd questions.

"Hey James, where have you been?" asked Sirius as soon as I walked into the bedroom again. He was reading the _Daily Prophet._

"Just talking to people," I shrugged, heading over to my trunk, a sense of excitement rising.

_What had she gotten me?_

In all my years, Lily had never given me a present. I had always been the one to shower her in gifts, so it was a bit of a thrill to finally receive something.

Sirius lost interest to what I was doing, and returned to reading his paper. Slowly, I untied the string that was holding together the paper.

Inside was a Muggle tree ornament in the shape of a broomstick. On the handle, my name was carefully carved. Although we didn't own a Muggle tree, the little ornament made me smile. It was perfect, special gift.

I picked up the letter that came with it.

_Dear James,_

_I know how much you love Quidditch, but I couldn't really find anything in the magical world that felt personal enough for you. Anyways, I hope you like it. Have a good Christmas, and I'll see you soon!_

_Lots of love,_

_Lily Evans_

I read the letter, a small smile tugging at the corners of my mouth. Before I knew it, I was grinning, holding the small note in my hand.

_Lots of love…_

"What are you gawking at?" asked Sirius over the top of his newspaper. When I didn't answer, he clucked impatiently and threw a pillow at me.

_She wanted something personal for me…_

I slipped the letter back into a small compartment in my trunk. There was no way I was getting rid of that.

"It's been a great Christmas, hasn't it?" asked Sirius, still determined to create some sort of conversation.

"Yeah," I agreed, the small broomstick still in my hand. "It's been _absolutely _brilliant."


	13. Chapter 13

"That was the _best_ Christmas I have ever had."

"Sirius, you've said that about fifty times; we get it," I responded tiredly.

Padfoot, Moony and I were unpacking our stuff back in the dormitory, having just arrived back at Hogwarts. The long train ride had lulled me into a tired sort of trace, plus I was starving. Unfortunately, the many Caldron Cakes we had eaten on the train hadn't held me.

"Have you seen Peter yet?" asked Remus, folding a pair of robes neatly and placing them in his trunk. Sirius and I had stuffed our clothes in messily, like usual, and collapsed on our four-poster beds. The sheets were warm, and the pillows newly fluffed. It was obvious the house-elves had visited.

"Nope," I yawned, closing my eyes. "He'd better hurry up though, or he'll miss dinner."

"Pity," said Sirius sarcastically. "Then we'll have to eat his share."

Remus rolled his eyes and began to stack his books by his bedside, placing them in order my title.

"Hey, how was your break?" I asked, turning my head to peer at him. He had a new set of robes on, and his face looked fuller and rosier than it had in months.

"It went really well actually," he responded, smiling. "We visited some family in the countryside, and I think the fresh air did me good."

"I can tell; you look happier than I have ever seen you," I answered. Remus just shrugged, but I noticed he kept his eyes cast down, and I swore I saw a bit of a smile playing at his lips.

"Come off it Remus, what happened? You are blushing like a girl," Sirius said, throwing one of the pillows off his bed and hitting him squarely in his face. Caught by surprise, Moony toppled backwards onto the books he had so meticulously stacked, causing both Padfoot and me to roar with laughter.

"Really, Sirius," said Remus indignantly, sitting up and rubbing his back. "You're act like a bloody third-year."

When the laughter had subsided, I tried asking him again. "But he had a point. What e_xactly _happened?"

"Well," began Remus, busing himself with stacking his books once more so he didn't have to look at us. "I met an exchange student from Beaubaxtons. She is of my cousin's friends, and we started talking," he said so quickly that his words ran together.

"Oooh, "she" is a she, eh?" cooed Sirius, a mocking smirk in his face. "What's her name?"

"Ana."

"Come on, tell us what she looks like," I said encouragingly, while grinning at Sirius.

Remus pulled out a photo of himself standing next to a tall girl with curly dark hair and odd grey eyes, who waved happily at us from the picture. She had a wide smile, and rosy cheeks, presumably from the cold.

"We are just in correspondence, that's all," said Remus, pulling the picture out of my hands. "You know, establishing international Wizarding relations."

"Yeah, _international relations,_" muttered Sirius as he turned back around. "I'm sure that's what he said when he first saw her."

At that moment, the door opened and Peter walked in, causing Ana to momentarily fade from our minds.

"Peter, where have you been?" Sirius asked, sitting up. "We've been waiting here for _ages, _and I'm starving."

"Sorry, just been in the library," he squeaked, throwing a stack of books down by the end of his bed. "I spent nearly the whole break catching up on work."

"Well, I think it's fair to say that Remus had a better Christmas than you," I said, as Sirius laughed loudly. Wormtail looked confused, and Moony shot us furious glares.

"Just leave it alone, you two!" he said hotly. "I knew I shouldn't have told you!"

"Hold on to your britches," said Sirius lazily. "We were just kidding."

Together, the four of us made our way down to the crowded Great Hall. The students were embracing friends they hadn't seen in a while, and talking about what they did over break. It seemed as if nobody had stayed at Hogwarts.

"Mhm…" said Sirius when we sat down in our usual spots at the Gryffindor table. He was staring hungrily at the empty plates in front of us and rubbing his hands together.

"Welcome back!" cried Professor Dumbledore when everyone was seated and the chatter had died down. "I hope you all had a delightful Christmas. Alas, tomorrow it is back to our studies, but for today let us enjoy this delightful feast!"

He clapped his hands twice and food immediately appeared on the golden plates and pumpkin juice filled our goblets. The aroma wafting from the warm food made my mouth water, and as soon as Professor Dumbledore sat down I grabbed the nearest dish and began loading it onto my plate.

"That is delicious," said Sirius, sinking his teeth into a hunk of buttered potato. His eyes were closed in ecstasy.

We ate our way through three helpings fairly quickly, swigging the ice-cold pumpkin juice and talking happily. It wasn't until dessert (the usual treacle tart and chocolate covered strawberries) that I remembered Lily.

Leaning forward, I peered down the table and spotted her instantly. She was sitting next to Jonah, talking and laughing with him. Something struck me as odd, though, so I didn't tear my gaze from them. There was a certain _flirtiness _in the way she tossed her hair, and, with a jolt, I realized she was wearing makeup, something she hardly ever did. All of these things were all so un-Lily-like that I began to wonder…

As I watched the pair of them, I realized I was clenching my fork so hard that my fingers were numb. Jealousy as I had never felt it began to stir within me. How could Jonah make Lily giggle like and smile like that? I knew that many girls liked him, with his blue, blue eyes, framed by thick dark eyelashes, and his quiet demeanor,but _Lily?_

When she raised her pumpkin juice to her lips, though, I noticed she was wearing the bracelet I had sent to her for Christmas. On normal circumstances, that would have made me smile, but a suspicion was stirring, and not a good one…

"James?" asked Sirius, nudging me in my ribs. "What's up? You look whiter than a sheet. "

"Nothing," I muttered, stabbing my fork into my strawberries, which didn't look half as appetizing anymore. I wasn't really upset at Lily, but more at Jonah, whom I considered a friend. Especially because I had just started to get the notion that Lily liked me too…

_That _small hope had just been flattened.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: I know the chapter's short, and I know I haven't updated in a while. Life's been busy though, and now I have too much time on my hands… So I write… Yep. Anyway, thanks for the reviews, they're great! I don't own Harry Potter… And that's about it. **

The news really shouldn't have surprised me. But to say I was upset was an understatement.

"She _what?" _I exploded angrily. Sirius, who had been sitting across from me, jumped. He looked taken aback.

"Jonah's always been a little sly git, you know that. He just made the first move sooner," Padfoot replied with a cheeky grin. He was trying to cheer me up, but it wasn't working. Not at all.

"When did they start seeing each other?" I asked, attempting to control the frustration that was threatening to spill over. The other people in the common room were beginning to stare at us.

"Oh, he asked her out on the train home, I think. That's what Remus told me," Sirius said nonchalantly, which made me even angrier. Couldn't he tell that this meant a lot to me? It wasn't something I could just _shrug _off. And things had been going so well—

"That's it. I'm going to have a little chat with Jonah. Where is he?" I said, standing up. Sirius now looked slightly alarmed. He stood up next to me, placing his hand lightly on my shoulder.

"Don't do anything foolish mate. I don't think Evans would be very impressed if you cursed her boyfriend."

I simply nodded, and stalked off. There were no promises there, though. Jonah. Lily's boyfriend. _Boyfriend._ The words keep running through my head. I felt sick.

Most likely, Jonah would be in the library doing homework as he wasn't in the common room. That or he was with Lily, and I was pretty sure if I walked in on them snogging that I would lose it. The mental picture that came with the thought made me shudder.

The library was packed with students, scribbling madly on pieces of parchment, surrounded by huge volumes. There was one girl who had fallen asleep on her essay, her blonde hair stained black from the ink. I considered waking her up, but I had a mission, so I moved on.

It didn't take me that long to find Jonah. He was bent over a thick book, his brow furrowed in concentration. He didn't even notice me walk up behind him.

"Hmm… The Shield Charm only works against certain types of hexes, and most likely not against an Unforgivable Curse," I said, reading over his shoulder.

"Wha-?" he said blearily, spinning around. His eyes were unfocused and bloodshot. It was obvious he had been here for a while.

"Right there, the third line. You said that the Shield Charm protects against all curses, but that's not correct," I said coldly, pointing to his essay.

"Oh… Thanks," he said, scratching it out and fixing it. I walked around his books and sat opposite from him.

"No problem," I said icily, narrowing my eyes. Jonah noticed the venom in my voice and looked up curiously.

"What's wrong James?" he asked, brushing his curls off his forehead. His blue eyes were crinkled in concern.

"Actually, it's Lily. I heard you were dating," I said slowly, fiddling with a piece of parchment so I didn't have to meet his gaze.

"Oh, yeah!" he said enthusiastically. "She's a looker, isn't she?" Jonah punched my shoulder playfully. I glared at him, and the smile slid right off his face.

"Right," he said. "Not funny. Anyway, what brings you here? I'm sure you didn't come to just to correct my terrible Charms essay."

"Why you?" I asked suddenly. It was the question that had been burning in my mind since Sirius told that they were seeing each other. "Why did she choose you?"

Jonah was obviously confused by my change of topic, but he went along with it anyway. "I don't know, though I'm glad she did. I know you had a little thing with her, but no hard feelings right mate? I just got there first, you know?"

"No hard feelings," I hissed dangerously. Jonah's eyes widened a bit, and he backed up. "Well, there actually _is _ hard feelings between us. If we hadn't been friends prior to this, I would curse you right here, right now. But I'm not going to let such a little thing get to me," I said sarcastically.

"What are you trying to-?" Jonah asked cautiously, but I cut him off.

"Don't talk about her around me. Don't be with her around me. Don't even _think _about her around me, or I'm going to curse you so badly that you'll be in the hospital wing for a week. Understood?" I said crisply, ticking off my list on my fingers.

"Uh, I guess," he said, a little taken aback.

"Good," I answered icily. Then without a look back, I stalked out of the library feeling quite accomplished.


End file.
